Testimonials
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Cecile
"Having had some bad experiences with the NHS, we decided to find an independent midwife for the birth of our son. After meeting two midwives we decided to entrust our care to Natasha McDonald.
We were instantly struck by the care and information we received from Natasha. We received one to one care, including regular visits in which Natasha got to know us (and vice versa) and what we wanted from our birth.
Natasha’s skill and professionalism, combined with her dedicated and caring character, gave us complete confidence. Natasha worked tirelessly, monitoring and checking progress, despite the long hours and emotional atmosphere (I was pretty vocal). She took everything in her stride.
When our son was born we were completely awe-struck. Natasha checked him over quickly and left us with him to bond – he was perfect. We were so happy that we had decided on a home birth. It felt so right. No interruptions, a much more relaxed atmosphere, and no travelling at all. This being quite the opposite experience for those of my friends who gave birth in hospital, where they had different midwives attending the birth and were at times left completely alone due to staffing issues! It was also nice putting a house address on the birth certificate rather than naming a hospital.
Despite pre-labour nerves, my husband and Natasha were fantastic and should I ever fall pregnant again we’d be calling Natasha straight away. The aftercare was brilliant. Jacob refused to feed for the first three days. Knowing my wishes Natasha’s determination and patience to get him to feed was fantastic and when he finally did latch on it felt like another miracle. Natasha continued her visits monitoring our progress until we all felt 100% confident and ready to fly solo.
Natasha was absolutely perfect. We hope she’ll stay in touch as she now feels like part of the family"
Cecile gave birth to Jacob at home in January 2007
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Anna
"I contacted Carrie when I was about 6 weeks pregnant after a recommendation from another midwife, as I was determined to have a home birth and I wanted to know and trust the person attending during labour, which is not always possible on the NHS. We had a long chat over the phone and seemed to agree on all the issues that were important to me, so we decided to meet to discuss things further. After this meeting I was absolutely delighted to have found someone who not only shared my views on birth, but who I felt completely comfortable with as a person. She gave me complete and utter confidence in her, but probably more importantly in myself and my body.
My pregnancy went extremely well, with no major complications or worries. However, I knew I could contact Carrie day or night if I wanted to. Whenever I did phone it was usually over one of those minor niggles that can cause hormonal pregnant women to panic needlessly, but she never made me feel like I was behaving irrationally or wasting her time. I don’t think my pregnancy would have been quite so relaxed if it hadn’t been for her.
The birth itself went extremely well and I was hardly aware of Carrie or Natasha during labour, although I knew they were there if I needed them. My daughter wasn’t breathing when she was born, but they acted quickly and calmly to resuscitate her. Because they never panicked, I didn’t panic either and trusted them to do their best.
The decision to employ Carrie was the best decision that I made during my pregnancy and I’m so glad that she was with me for this incredible journey."
Anna gave birth to baby Sophie at home in December 2006
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Leigh
"The antenatal, birthing and postnatal care that we received from Natasha and Carrie was, what can only be described as, exemplary. As a first time mother-to-be I was utterly terrified of the process of giving birth. To add to my worries I was, ccording to statistics, in a high-risk category for postnatal depression.
Many of my friends had had completely normal pregnancies followed by high medical intervention births. They had been quite traumatised by their experiences and talked about a lack of control and a feeling of their bodies being taken over by the hospital system. This was an experience that I did not want.
I decided that the only way I could feel comfortable with the thought of giving birth was to be at home with my husband in surroundings in which we felt relaxed and in control. The N.H.S. refused us a home birth on the grounds of equipment shortages. Though we were devastated at the time, it was the best thing that could have happened.
We decided therefore, that the only option open to us was to enlist the services of an independent midwife. Thankfully, Natasha and Carrie were able to come to our rescue. As soon as I booked McMidwives my stress levels plummeted. Having one to one emotional and physical care during my pregnancy removed so much of the fear I had been experiencing. Natasha was my first midwife and I came to look forward to her antenatal visits at which she would carry out the serious business of blood pressure checks, foetal position checks etc. in a friendly, relaxed and often amusing manner. During this antenatal period we came to respect her professionalism, but also enjoy her easy going and caring personality.I had a very long labour, which I would have found very difficult to cope with had it not been for the constant support and reassurance from Natasha and Carrie. Natasha came willingly to our house in the wee small hours 2 nights in a row when we, erroneously, believed I was in advanced labour. On the third day both ladies arrived. By this time my enthusiasm was beginning to wane considerably – both Roger and I were exhausted and disheartened. Thankfully the ladies were caring, sympathetic and very professional. They took care of both our emotional and physical needs (sending Roger to bed at one point). Because of their care and emotional sensitivity I was able to give birth in the early hours of October 18th 2006 to beautiful baby Gwyneth in a pool in our dining room. There had been minimal intervention and I eventually got the birth I wanted. We were able to start life as a family together at home in a loving, relaxed environment.
Being at home with midwives who felt like friends meant Gwyneth and I were relaxed and able to start breastfeeding with very little trouble – it felt like the most natural thing in the world. By the time they left, the house was tidy, the pool draining and there was not even the tiniest spot of blood on the carpet!
Natasha arrived back on our doorstep some hours later to check all was well – which it was!
My postnatal care was supportive and helpful and I was both physically and emotionally cared for to the highest standard. I was quite sad when it was finally time to be signed off – I had come to enjoy their visits so much.
6 months on and we love being a family. Gwyneth is flourishing – we are still breastfeeding and there is not even an inkling of postnatal depression. Employing McMidwives was the best investment we have ever made. Natasha and Carrie are both beautiful people and excellent midwives. If we are lucky enough to have more children I wouldn’t consider entrusting my care to anyone else."
Leigh gave birth to Gwyneth at home in October 2006
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Andrea
“If you help a butterfly out of its cocoon, it will die. The butterfly needs to struggle to help develop and strengthen its wings.”
Having had a healthy pregnancy, I left it quite late to really think about how I want to give birth.After I came back from my antenatal appointment at 34 weeks I felt disappointed. Again a different midwife and I grew tired of explaining my ideas and plans over and over. When a friend gave me the book “Birth Reborn: What Childbirth Should Be” by Michel Odent I was fascinated and sure- that’s what I want: giving birth naturally and making it an experience of a lifetime that I will always fondly and in owe remember. The question remained- how do I achieve that? I “googled” and found the website of independent midwifes in Scotland. I phoned Carrie and we arranged to meet. Carrie and Jenny came to our house and we talked about the birth. I felt reassured and excited as we talked about our plans and how I could be supported. When Carrie and Jenny left, I felt confident that this was the support I was looking for- not just for the birth but before and after as well.My husband and I met with either Carrie or Jenny every week before the birth to discuss how I want to give birth, what the risks are, what to do in emergencies, what to do in difficult situations and above all, how to have a natural birth. My confidence in Carrie and Jenny grew and I decided to have a home birth, knowing that I could change my mind any time.After a night at the movies- Indiana Jones- and lots of popcorn, I started contractions in the early hours of Friday morning. I phoned Carrie at 9am and she arrived at the house at 11. I was very glad to know, that I could from now on rely on her. No need to explain anything or watch out for anything. All I had to do was give birth. It took till Saturday morning when our beautiful baby daughter came into the world. During the long hours of labour I loved the confident and warm way Carrie and Jenny attended to me, the gentle monitoring of the baby and the progress of labour, the open and honest way of discussing choices and the support and patience to allow my body to do what was needed and the laughter and humour we shared.
This gave me a new sense of understanding into my body’s way of working and an immense sense of confidence and pride in myself. Exactly what was needed to start motherhood- as I understand now, 11 weeks later.I held my daughter in my arms seconds after she was born and she was having her first feed an hour later, still attached to me by the cord after she found her way from my tummy to the breast and been given time to latch on comfortably.
My husband cut the cord and Jenny and Carrie checked the baby and helped me with a shower. Some time later we all had some tea and home made birthday cake made by Rene during the previous afternoon. The living was cleaned and back to normal and Jenny and Carrie left the 3 of us to have a nice sleep and came back in the afternoon to see how we were doing. What a wonderful experience for me, the baby and my husband!For the next week Carrie or Jenny visited daily, answering questions, giving tips and demonstrations on baby care and breast feeding and making sure, Baby and I were doing well.I felt very reassured and supported before, during and after giving birth. I felt my opinion valued and heard and able to make informed choices. Carrie and Jenny involved me in all decision making and would always have my and the babies best interest at heart.
THANK YOU!!!
Andrea with husband Rene and baby Jenny
Andrea gave birth to baby Jenny at home in May 2008
More to come!